Mark Ingram could be just what the Pats need

This weekend, we began publishing The Football ERA Mock Draft to be rolled out in its entirety on Tuesday and Wednesday. With the Patriots having two first round draft picks, we noted their possible interest in Mark Ingram. Today, Mike Florio of PFT.com published a report concurring with our conjecture.

Here is his report:


When rumors recently emerged that two teams in need of running backs removed 2009 Heisman winner Mark Ingram from their draft boards, we immediately suspected that one of those teams secretly hopes Ingram will slide into their clutches. It’s one of the bizarre realities of the draft, where teams that don’t want a player will talk him up so that someone else will take him — and where teams that like a player will trash him in the hopes that he’ll slide down the board,   and into their clutches.

As to Ingram, we suspect that Patriots coach Bill Belichick and/or one of his lieutenants are spreading rumors about Ingram’s knee, because Belichick knows that Ingram could give the Patriots’ offense something that it has been lacking since the days of Corey Dillon — a legitimate, high-end threat on the ground.

Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald addresses that possibility, with quotes from unnamed scouts who see Ingram helping the Patriots develop a complete, and deadly, offensive attack with Ingram in the backfield.

“If they ever got the running back to go with Wes Welker and those two tight ends, they’re going to be [trouble],” a “high-ranking AFC scout” told Rapoport. “Because you get a tackle-to-tackle running back like an Ingram, and the linebackers will have to play the slot and play the run. BenJarvus [Green-Ellis] is nice because he hits the hole hard. But Ingram is a pounder. What they’ve always wanted to do on offense is control the clock. And when you get a pounder at running back, you can now control the clock.”

Though Green-Ellis racked up 1,008 rushing yards in 2010, there are plenty of running backs who can churn up that kind of yardage in an offense with a passing attack led by Tom Brady. An elite runner would give the Pats the ultimate pick-your-poison proposition.

The real question, in our view, is whether the Pats would pluck Ingram off the board with the 17th pick, or whether they’d wait until their second first-rounder, the 28th overall selection.

If the Pats get him, they’ll possibly have the weapon they need to complement the balance of Brady’s career.

source: PFT.com
author: Mike Florio
image courtesy of Getty Images

The Football ERA Mock Draft

   -------------------------------------------------- 
By Erik Laurinovics, "The Rambling Gambler"
Contributions from:
Shaq, Editor-in-Chief
Oscar Suggs 
-------------------------------------------------- 


It's been a long, gloomy off-season so far, with nothing but talk of a lock out and fans left wondering if the 2012 season is in jeopardy. Without Free Agency and March OTAs, we haven't had much to discuss or look forward to, but the draft is now just around the corner! We here at The Football ERA decided to celebrate by putting together a mock draft. You'll get my analysis on every pick in the first round as well as some commentary from the brains behind The Football ERA, our Editor-in-Chief, Shaq.


We'll be posting this column in a series of three posts over the weekend and in the week leading up to the draft, with a post of the full draft on Wednesday, 4/27. Today, we're taking a look at picks 11-20--and on Tuesday--picks 1-10. We'll be having a repost of the mock draft in its entirety, 1-32, on Wednesday.


Lets get drafting!

11.       Houston Texans – Prince Amukamara, CB

While many mocks have Houston taking a pass-rusher here, I don’t see how the team ranked dead-last in passing defense can pass up the second best CB in the draft. He had a very strong combine and his measurables were very similar to Patrick Peterson’s. Houston is transitioning to a 3-4 defense and does need to add pass rushers, but shoring up the secondary should be a top priority for the Texans.

SHAQ:  Da’Quan Bowers stock continues to fall so Houston may very well take Robert Quinn whose stock is rising.

  12.       Minnesota Vikings –  
  Jake Locker, QB

  The Vikings have a huge need at QB, unless you think Joe Webb is the QB of the future. Locker will be a highly controversial pick, with pundits either pointing to his poor statistics at Washington, or to being a great QB plagued by a bad offensive line and receivers. Regardless, Minnesota has expressed interest, and they are not shy about pulling the trigger on the players they want (Adrian Peterson and Randy Moss are two examples of draft picks that didn’t go over well on draft day). Da’Quan Bowers will be a temptation for Minnesota in this spot, but ultimately I think they’ll nab their next QB.

  SHAQ:  The Vikings might feel they have Quaterback needs, but how do they pass on Da’Quan Bowers if he falls to them at number 12.  With Ray Edwards due to be a free agent, the Vikings don’t miss this opportunity to take a top rated defensive lineman.

13.       Detroit Lions – Nate Solder, OT

With Prince Amukamara off the board, the Lions will focus on protecting fragile franchise QB Matthew Stafford. He’s yet to play 16 games in a season and no doubt a shaky offensive line has contributed to his injury problems. Solder is quite the prospect, standing 6’8” and weighing in between 310-320. Some analysts even have him pegged as the top tackle prospect in this year’s draft. With no one on the roster looking like a long-term starter at tackle, I expect the Lions to fill that need in the first round.

SHAQ:  I agree with the Rambling Gambler that the Lions will go offensive line, having settled their defensive line with Ndamukong Suh last year.    However, the offensive lineman they choose will be Tyron Smith.

14.       St. Louis Rams – Da’Quan Bowers, DE
There is no greater wild card on day one than
Da’Quan Bowers. With so much misinformation being spread in April, it’s impossible to get a definitive report on the health of his knee. A poor performance at his pro-day only created cause for more concern, and as such, a player once consider to be a possible top pick may fall out of the top 10 all together. Some still think he may be a top 3 pick, but I think most of the teams drafting the first ten picks would rather play it safe and can address their needs with a different top prospect. The Rams want A.J. Green or Julio Jones, but they won’t pass on an elite pass-rusher with the 14^th pick, injury concerns or not.

SHAQ:  California’s Cameron Jordan’s stock has been steadily rising, and the Rams don’t pass up the opportunity to take a shot at the Golden Bear.

15.       Miami Dolphins – Ryan Mallet, QB

The Dolphins were a disappointing team last year… After failing at an attempt to replace head coach Tony Sparano, Chad Henne will be the next in line to lose his job. I don’t think the Dolphins are willing to let Henne struggle again this season, and with Pennington suffering an injury during this offseason,  I think they go quarterback here. Having expressed a desire to have a vertical offense, I think they may give Ryan Mallet a shot. His arm is considered to be one of the best in this QB class, if not the best. The concerns about Mallet are regarding his character and ability to lead, but with recent reports coming out to the contrary, you have to wonder how much pre-draft smoke-screening is going on here. Mallet has visited the Dolphins twice so far leading up to the draft.

SHAQ:  The Dolphins would love to have one of the top two quarterbacks on the board fall to them—no chance.  So do they go Jake Locker or Ryan Mallett even though he is pre-draft stock has been questioned.  Either is a gamble, but they go for the big arm in Mallett.

16.       Jacksonville Jaguars – Aldon Smith, DE

If Locker falls, I suspect the Jaguars may draft him with this pick, but in my mock they’re left with Aldon Smith. The Jags ranked 30^th in sacks last year, generating only 26. While they have several positions of need, a pass rusher has to be a top priority. Smith has been drawing comparisons to Demarcus Ware and Willie McGinest, and can play DE in the Jaguars 4-3 defense. Smith may very well go higher in the draft, in which case Jacksonville would likely look to J.J. Watt or Ryan Kerrigan.

SHAQ:  Either Aldon Smith or Ryan Kerrigan would be the perfect pick for the Jags.  Just for argument’s sake,  Jacksonville picks Kerrigan.

  17.       New England Patriots -
   Ryan Kerrigan, DE/LB

  Kerrigan played as a DE in college, but at 6’3” 267, he is being projected as a line-backer in 3-4 defenses. Several 3-4 teams have had interest in Kerrigan, and he should be available when the Patriots make their first pick of the round. Kerrigan would provide a good outside-backer to go with ILB Jerod Mayo and shore up the front 7. While the Patriots don’t have many immediate needs, the futures of Matt Light and Logan Mankins are uncertain at this point, so getting some additional depth on the offensive line may be considered here.

  SHAQ:  Its no secret that Logan Mankins was not happy with the Patriots lack of commitment to him, so New England takes Anthony Castonzo out of Boston College.

18.       San Diego Chargers – J.J. Watt, DE

While the Chargers may have had one of the best defenses on paper last year, it was clear that they need another pass-rushing presence at DE or LB, and I really don’t expect them to stray from either of those positions in the first round. The Chargers have been strongly linked to Ryan Kerrigan; Brooks Reed could be a possible candidate here as well.

SHAQ:  Aldon Smith is too good to pass up and falls to San Diego.

  19.       New York Giants –
   Anthony Castonzo, OT

   It’s not even clear who the Giants start would be at left tackle right now, and that’s a very bad thing. With a deep crop of first round tackle prospects this year, I fully expect the Giants to draft the best available. In this mock, it’s Castonzo, though he very well could be gone. If so, the Giants would probably end up with Gabe Carimi or Derek Sherrod.

   SHAQ:  Mike Pouncey is taken by the New York Giants to bolster their aging offensive line.

20.   Tampa Bay Buccaneers –  Jimmy Smith, CB

The Bucs are another team seeking a pass-rusher, with most analysts having DE as their top need. I think Tampa would be thrilled if Bowers, Smith, or Watt somehow fell to them at 20. With those prospects gone, I’m going to go out of a limb and say they go for Jimmy Smith. Ronde Barber is 36 years old, and Jimmy Smith is talented enough to take over when the time comes. While there have been many reports raising red flags about his character, Jimmy Smith turned in a combine performance that was right up there with Patrick Peterson’s; not a bad spot for the Bucs to take a risk on that kind of talent.

SHAQ:  The Bucs desperately want a great pass rushing defensive end.  Then Aqib Talib goes and gets himself arrested—for murder no less.  Tampa Bay nabs Jimmy Smith.

Another sign that the 49ers covet Patrick Peterson

As the NFL draft approaches, we’ve seen several pieces of evidence to indicate that the San Francisco 49ers want to select LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson with their first-round pick, No. 7 overall. Now there’s one more.
Adam Caplan and Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com report that the 49ers conducted a private workout with Peterson.
Evan Silva has the 49ers taking Peterson at No. 7 in the PFT mock draft, and we noted this week that Peterson appears to be the top player on the 49ers’ draft board.
The only question is whether Peterson will still be available when the seventh pick comes up. Some observers consider Peterson the best player in the entire draft at any position, and Peterson had pre-draft visits with most of the teams picking ahead of the 49ers. So it’s entirely possible that the 49ers won’t get a chance to take Peterson.
But if they do get that chance, all indications are that they won’t pass him up.

source:  PFT.com
author:  Michael David Smith

The Football ERA Mock Draft

-------------------------------------------------- 
By Erik Laurinovics, "The Rambling Gambler"
Contributions from:
Shaq, Editor-in-Chief
Oscar Suggs
-------------------------------------------------- 


It's been a long, gloomy off-season so far, with nothing but talk of a lock out and fans left wondering if the 2012 season is in jeopardy. Without Free Agency and March OTAs, we haven't had much to discuss or look forward to, but the draft is now just around the corner! We here at The Football ERA decided to celebrate by putting together a mock draft. You'll get my analysis on every pick in the first round as well as some commentary from the brains behind The Football ERA, our Editor-in-Chief, Shaq.


We'll be posting this column in a series of three posts over the weekend and in the week leading up to the draft, with a post of the full draft on Wednesday, 4/27. Today, we're taking a look at picks 32-21. Check back on Sunday for 11-20 and Tuesday for 1-10. And again, we'll be having a repost of the mock draft in its entirety, 1-32, on Wednesday.


Lets get drafting!




32. Green Bay Packers – Cameron Jordan, DE

With Cullen Jenkins a free agent, the Packers need depth on the d-line. Cameron Jordan has been a prospect in flux, but there is concern about his pass-rushing ability after only producing 16.5 sacks in 32 college games. Nonetheless, he impressed at Senior Bowl practices and the combine and fits perfectly as a 3-4 defensive end. Mark Ingram may also be tempting, as the Packers backfield consists of Starks, Ryan Grant coming off an injury, and soon-to-be free agent Brandon Jackson.

SHAQ:  Justin Houston, OLB out of Georgia.

31.  Pittsburgh Steelers – Aaron Williams, CB

Aaron Williams, CB

I’m not projecting trades in my mock, but if the Steelers are left without any of the first round offensive line prospects here, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them trade down. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see them trade up a few spots to secure Derek Sherrod or Danny Watkins. Pittsburgh’s biggest needs are at corner and offensive line, and Williams may be considered a reach here. Regardless, the need is so great for securing either position that I think they’re forced to take the best available corner if they remain in this spot.

SHAQ:  I have to agree that Pittsburgh is looking for defensive secondary help--so they nab Aaron Williams out of Texas.

30. New York Jets – Akeem Ayers, LB

Ayers was considered a sure bet to go in the top 20 until he turned in a poor performance at the combine. Consequently, he should be available when the Jets pick near the end of the round and they have a need at outside linebacker, opposite Calvin Pace. Ayers was extremely productive in college and that will likely keep him from falling out of the first round entirely. Phil Taylor, DT, would also be a good fit here as Kris Jenkins is no longer on the roster. The Jets are also in a good position to consider trading down here as well.

SHAQ:  Jets go defense with Akeem Ayers out of UCLA.

29. Chicago Bears – Danny Watkins, G

The Bears led the league in sacks allowed in the 2010 season and can stand to improve at any position along the offensive line. Ideally they would like one of the tackles to fall here, but realistically they’ll probably end up getting Pouncey or Watkins. Considered by some to be the top guard in the draft, he would immediately step in and improve the Bears interior line. He also has the size and arm-length to attempt playing tackle.

SHAQ:  Marvin Austin, DT out of North Carolina.

28. New England Patriots – Mike Pouncey

Mike Pouncey, G/C

The future of the Patriots offensive line is in flux, with franchise-tagged Logan Mankins wanting a long-term deal and Matt Light coming off an injury and bad-mouthing Patriots owner Robert Kraft when discussing the lockout. The Patriots value versatility, and Mike Pouncey is already viewed as a guard/center, and some scouts have said he could even fill in at tackle. While he may not be called upon to start right away, his presence would give the Pats a little more flexibility and depth at the position, allowing them to part with one of their aforementioned linemen, if need be.

SHAQ:  With Mark Ingram still sitting in Radio Hall waiting for his cell phone to buzz, the Patriots make the call.

27. Atlanta Falcons - Derek Sherrod, OT

The Falcons have three starting offensive lineman heading to free agency, so it’s almost a lock that they need to take the best offensive lineman available. Sherrod is the last remaining first round tackle prospect in my mock, though the Falcons may consider Guards Mike Pouncey or Danny Watkins, if available or if Sherrod is off the board.

SHAQ:  With Adrian Clayborn still on the board, the Falcons pick up  depth for their pass rushing corps.

26. Baltimore Ravens – Justin Houston, DE/LB

As much as the Ravens need a wide receiver, unless they trade up for Green or Jones, none of the remaining prospects are seen as a good value in this draft slot. Houston wouldn’t be needed immediately, but 30 year-old OLB Jarrett Johnson is entering the final year of his contract. Moreover, with Ray Lewis likely only playing another season or two at most, the Ravens will need a pass rushing linebacker in the near future. Houston has tremendous ability, posting combine numbers comparable to Von Miller and Robert Quinn. Questions have been raised about his motor and he’s been described as lackadaisical, but he produced in college and has the talent to produce in the pros.

SHAQ:  Ravens opt to bolster their offensive line with Derek Sherrod.

Andy Dalton, QB

25. Seattle Seahawks -  Andy Dalton, QB

The Seahawks certainly seem to be on a hunt for a quarterback in the draft class, having met with Dalton, Mallet, Locker, and Kaepernick. Dalton is considered to be the most “NFL ready” and fits the west-coast offense. Hasselbeck will be 36 years old this season and has a hard enough time surviving behind Seattle’s offensive line as it is already. With no heir-apparent on the roster, they need to find one.

SHAQ:  Everybody seems to have the Seahawks going quarterback to develop under an aging Matt Hasselbeck.  I can’t see them passing on Andy Dalton.

24. New Orleans Saints – Brooks Reed, DE/LB

The Saints are expected to address defensive needs with this draft and continue to build depth. The addition of Shaun Rogers allows them to focus on adding a playmaker at end or linebacker. Brooks Reed is gaining momentum after posting combine numbers similar to those of Clay Matthews and the Saints could certainly use an explosive player at linebacker. With most of the top pass rushers gone at this point, the Saints are another team that could trade down.

SHAQ:  Muhammed Wilkerson is taken by the Saints to get the immediate help they need on defense up front.

23. Philadelphia Eagles –  Corey Liuget, DT

The Eagles surely want to add talent to the secondary after giving up way too many big plays last season. Unfortunately, with Jimmy Smith off the board, none of the remaining defensive backs will be a good value here. Defensive tackle may not be considered a top need for the Eagles, but Liuget would be tough to pass up. With his stock rising throughout the off-season, he’s seen as the clear cut third defensive tackle off the board. His size (6’2”, 298) is best suited for the 4-3 and he would make an impact up front for the Eagles. I could also see the Eagles trading down here, as we could see several teams try to move back in to the first round to get one of the top remaining QB prospects.

SHAQ:  Nate Solder makes Andy Reid happy as he solidifies his already explosive offense with a solid offensive lineman.

Gabe Carimi, OT

22. Indianapolis Colts – Gabe Carimi

The offensive line can certainly use an infusion of talent and the Colts need to protect their aging franchise quarterback. While the Colts do have need on their interior defensive line, with Wilkerson off the board, it seems unlikely that they’ll reach for a defensive lineman here. Carimi is another highly touted tackle prospect coming off an excellent combine and has the athleticism and length to potentially play left tackle.

SHAQ:  With Payton Manning begging for offensive line help, the Colts still make the right choice in drafting defensive tackle Corey Liuget.

21. Kansas City Chiefs – Muhammed Wilkerson

The chiefs could address several needs with this pick, but I think they’re going to get a lineman. The offensive line could use another tackle opposite Brandon Albert, but unless they really like one of the remaining prospects available, Wilkerson will be an immediate asset on the defensive line. With two defensive tackles likely two become free agents, Wilkerson can be a versatile player on the line. At 6’4”, 314 lbs, he could step in at DT if need be, or slide over to end should the Chiefs retain one of their existing tackles.

SHAQ:  Gabe Carimi out of Wisconsin makes for a great addition to the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line.